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Top 10 Specials to Offer Without Lowering Prices
Learn how to attract vacation rental guests with special offers without losing your shirt.
 No Cleaning Fees. No, it doesn't mean that your housekeeper will be out of work or that you'll have to switch to a diet of Ramen Noodles and Crackerjacks to afford the cleanings yourself. You don't really have to eat (no pun intended) that $100 or $150 cost for housekeeping; just bundle it into your base rental rates. Those fee-averse travelers will certainly appreciate the one-stop-shop approach to determining their rental rates. Besides, someone that is used to staying in a hotel might not be so keen on paying for cleaning anyway.
  Free Welcome Gift for Confirmed Bookings in the Next 2 Weeks. Wait, you're already doing this? Imagine that! We know a lot of owners enjoy the element of surprise when their guests check in and find some gift or treat. But if prospective renters are comparing your home to another, this special touch might just make them book your home. So, if you already provide some kind of amenity like a welcome basket, firewood, starter pack of coffee, continental breakfast, etc., highlight it in your listing and ditch that mysterious vibe.
 7 Nights: $2000. 1 Week Away from Your Boss: Priceless. When it comes to your rates it's ok to get creative, whether that's offering discounts, providing unique extras, or simply standing out among the competition with an amusing take on a week-long getaway to which we can probably all relate. And, to convince you further, certain members of the Owner Community team have admitted that they would choose this type of property over another simply for the humor factor.
  Free Mountain Air with Every Booking. Who cares if what you're offering is really only an illusion of free? You still had me at Fr-! It's very well known that people are simply drawn to the word “free”, so why not capitalize on this simple marketing tidbit and try to attract people to your vacation rental listing with free sunset views, free ocean breezes, etc. You get the idea.
 Rent 6 Nights, Get the 7th Night Free. Ok, ok, so maybe you want to offer an actual discount. When offering discounts to your prospective guests, you don't have to hurt your bottom line. You simply need to adopt some business-savvy psychology for your advertisements. When you set up your rental rates on your listings, you might have listed your weekly rates equal to a 6-night stay. But by advertising this way, you can remind bargain hunters that they're already getting almost 15% off the nightly rate.
 15% Off Weekly Rentals. Similarly, if you feel that travelers are looking for that percentage discount to jump out at them (or you just have a thing for symbols), offer 15% off your weekly rates. It's basically the same as  offering the 7th night for free, which you're likely already doing. You can even increase the discount percentage, but if you want your bottom line to stay the same, just cushion your prices so that you don't really have to accept lower rates. With a little arithmetic, you can let your renters think they're really getting a deal, and only you will know the truth.
 No Extra Person Fees. Likewise, if the pricing in your market is characterized by per person fees, help out those English Lit majors that aren't so keen on crunching the numbers themselves by listing one rental rate that satisfies all occupancies.
  Free Dinner with Weekly Booking. It turns out that college students aren't the only ones looking for free food. For travelers, nothing says “book my home” like a free meal. Again, you can add a little bit of cushion to your rental rates to provide your guests with a gift card to a restaurant in town. It doesn't have to be the most upscale eatery in your neighborhood, but when vacation expenses start to add up, your guests will appreciate one less meal to pay for.
 $50 Gas Card for Bookings of 3 Nights or More. A $50 gas card…You can't put a price on that! Well, yes you can, but in tough times, it doesn't make it any less “priceless” to your driving guests. So during your slower season when you know more of your guests will be heading to your home by car, try offering a gas card to lure in more travelers.
  Discount Attraction Tickets for All Guests. Try to seek out those non-do-it-yourselfers by setting up an activity or including tickets to an attraction as part of your rental package so your guests won't have to do the work themselves. This can be especially lucrative for you if you can partner with local attractions to get some kind of discount on lift tickets, beach chair rental, amusement park admission, etc. You don't have to be chummy with the sales rep at SeaWorld or know a guy who knows a guy at Six Flags. You can just try to negotiate a discounted rate simply because you're buying in bulk. Then, you can even add in the regular price of those attractions to your rental rates to give your profit margin a bit of a boost. There are plenty of renters out there that would jump on this type of property for the reduced hassle, even without a discount on the tickets.
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What specials do you offer to keep up with the competition?
"I offer six seasonal beach tags as a convenience for the renters. They love it and just have to return the tags to the bowl upon leaving for the next renters. Kitchen is fully stocked. I leave pamphlets of things to do in the area. I also leave a great gift - usually an L.L. Bean tote with their name embroidered on it or tickets to the rides on the boardwalk. The biggest thing I offer is a small deposit with the opportunity to pay over time as long as the final payment is made within one month of rental period. I have almost all repeat renters and always are booked for the whole summer season." -Della, Ocean City, NJ (VRBO #65516)
"I'm always willing to negotiate within reason if it's not the busy season. My rule is: Something is (WAY) better than nothing!" -Mary, Bald Head Island, NC
"Buy an entertainment coupon book and leave it in the unit. Hundreds of dollars in savings at local places to eat!" -Sal, Ft. Myers, FL
"I had people wanting deals in January...I told one I was always willing to negotiate but not this early in the season. I told him to check back later in the spring. I also broke the payments up into small payments for one eager renter instead of two payments and never had to lower my price. Everyone wins!" -Lindsay, Ocean Isle Beach, NC (VRBO #138235)
"We offer a well-stocked kitchen complete with coffee, condiments, and spices so guests can save food costs. They always comment how much these extras are appreciated!" -Kay, Birch Bay Resort, Blaine, WA (VacationRentals.com #1837)
"I responded to an inquiry the other day for a 'deal rate' by explaining to them that [renting by owner] is the reason we don't allow deals to be made on our condo. Our last rental/management company were always making deals with our renters without our permission but yet expected us to fit the bill when there were damages or theft issues in our condo. The deposits were not ever with-held from the renters where theft or damages occured. VRBO has allowed us to handle our own deposits and our own rates that are reasonable and fair and do not require deals to be made. I told the potential renter good luck, and to call me again if I can assist them in the future." -Anita, Gulf Shores, AL (VRBO #196958)
"I ask them what price they have budgeted." -Sallie, St. Simon's Island, GA (VRBO #14461)
"Have something the others don't, like safety items. We have an emergency lighting backup good for 90 minutes run time." -Troy, S. Lake Tahoe, CA (VRBO #8399)
"For same day sales, I follow the philosophy that an empty room isn't worth anything. However I do want to get the most possible for it. I start by telling the customer the regular rate for the room, and then let them know that as it's a last-minute booking we would reduce the rate by 10%. If they are quite hesitant or say that's more than they planned to spend I ask the guest what they wanted to spend. This is quite often more than I would have accepted, and I will let them know that if they decide to stay the next day the same rate will apply. This us often effective as people sometimes want to make sure they 'like it' before committing for a longer stay, especially if this is their first time staying at a vacation rental property, instead of a hotel." -Irene, Peachland, British Columbia (VRBO #220624)
"I advertise free beach service. Even though it's there for every guest and most owners in my complex offer it too, some of the other complexes in the area do not have it available. -Christine, Destin, FL
"We include beach towels, a cooler and beach chairs for a day at the lake. We also stock sugar, salt and pepper, tea, various spices, all cleaning supplies, food wraps and aluminum foil. We have a magazine basket with a variety of recent publications. Our welcome gift is local coffee or maple syrup, a bottle of wine and a fresh fruit pie. We are fully booked through April of next year with all return renters! -Kathleen, Cavendish, VT (HomeAway #138438)
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